Objectives are to seek official recognition and registration of Welsh Medieval Battlefields. Aims then are to work for the Preservation, Protection and Promotion of Welsh Battlefields. We seek to educate and inform on Welsh Medieval Military History, from Gododdin to Conquest 1282 and beyond. Welsh Medieval Battlefields speak of important episodes in our history that we should not ignore, nor forget the sacrifices made upon these Battlefields in the formation of our Welsh Nation.

07 May 2008

SO FAR NOT BAD? NOT GREAT! SO WHAT's NEXT? Sorry! but as all is now, it's not good enough, I think some criticism is required and maybe further action

.This Post is packed with priority useful campaigning info and details, I suggest you copy on disc and use then as and when time to indulge yourself or as required. Keeping in mind that further on I shall be requesting of you much more serious attention and active help in research, study and maybe some action in campaigning in an important cause?

.

.

It's taken a few years but both the RCAHMW and CADW have delivered and so the O.S. should in time also deliver and we will start to see more Welsh Battlefield sites marked on maps. The story thus far, after some campaigning the RCAHMW having set up a commission, done the job and identified a number of Welsh Battlefields as worthy of registration listing. This then came under the remit of CADW who have taken the findings aboard, but apart from a statement/feature in the Western Mail (see previous post), that seems to be it? I can find little else about this on the web, when I was at least expecting a Cadw publication as the one produced for noting, if not ''registering'' noted places in the Welsh Landscapes. Some time has now gone by and I am wondering is that it? and why leave it at that? So I have done a very quick prowl through web sites the relevant and associated ''bodies" in Wales and comparative sites in other parts of Britain and further afield to see how things are regards National Military Histories and Battlefield preservation plus of course the all important promotion of, be it for educational purpose, general public awarenss or as Liesure & Tourism Interests. See and compare how it's done in England and Scotland but not Wales. See following links :

Note a search of the web regards the English Batltefields Register will reveal a mass of stuff as local enthusiasts and local Authorities have campaigned to get their local battlefields recognised. As for Wales, forget it! ZILCH!!! What! our local authourities interested in our Welsh Battlefields? not likely! But that's more down to lack of Welsh Battlefield Campaigning enthusiasts failing to badger their local councils as is the case in England, not least the influential English Battlefields Trust. Continue:

.

NATIONAL TRUST Wales >National Trust Local to you WalesThe National Trust in Wales - places to visit, news, what's on and much more.www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-global/w-localtoyou/w-wales.htm - 41k -Cached - Similar pages . Scotland > NTS HomeThe National Trust for Scotland is Scotland's leading conservation charity and cares for Scotland's heritage.www.nts.org.uk/ - 21k - Cached - Similar pages . Most important note this fact, that Scotland's NT is responsible for the Culloden Centre, check this out > Culloden Home PageAn exciting new visitor centre and exhibition will open from late autumn 2007. ... the whole Culloden story to be told in an innovative and unrivalled way.www.nts.org.uk/Culloden/Home/ - 16k - Cached - Similar pages .England >The National TrustThe National Trust protects special places in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, for ever, for everyone.www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ - 25k -Cached - Similar pagesalso note that the NTS is also responsible for >Scotland: Bannockburn Heritage CentreSituated adjacent to the site of the legendary Battle of Bannockburn (1314), Bannockburn Heritage Centre commemorates Robert Bruce's celebrated victory over ...www.culturalprofiles.net/scotland/Units/4697.html - 12k -Cached - Similar pagesI draw your attention also to this NTS document > The National Trust for Scotland Education Website Teachers ...NTS at Bannockburn Glasgow Road Stirling FK7 0LJ Heritage Centre: 01786 812664 Off M80/M9 at Junction 9, 2 miles south of Stirling ...www.ntseducation.org.uk/teachers/bannockburn.html - 39k -Cached - Similar pages . How does that grab you? NTScotland Two Battle Centres, NT Wales N.O.N.E = None! Why not you may wonder, I can telly you why not, complete indifference, fin!

.

So far this is just on the surface stuff, if you dig deeper via these links you will see what I am getting at. Then you can decide if you are enthusiastic for some I'R GAD ACTION? Not exactly like going to war and into battle but more a case of storming the barricades of indifference that surrounds many of the ''bodies'' that should be more radically concerned with these mostly ''medieval matters'' that should cause most patriots great discontent. I tell you this, and you better believe it, say nothing and do nothing and nothing will get done, will it? Thus we need to shout and shove a bit. perhaps more than a bit? Thus keeping in mind that the ''Pen is mightier than the sword'', please everyone take up letter writting in support of this worthy cause, letters to heads of these ''bodies'' listed here, to Rhodri Glyn Thomas WAG Minister of Heritage, Local Councillors and not least the press, both national and local media. Send them texts as well, phone them even? Whatever it takes to grab their attention, wake em up, make em sit up and take notice. Be particularly active in all this on anniversaries of battles and very active on the WELSH BATTLE DAY, I will post some suggestions soon about this.

OTHER ''BODIES'' THAT SHOULD SHOW INTEREST, CONCERN AND BE ENGAGED IN THESE MATTERS AND ISSUES ARE >NATIONAL PARKS National Parks in the UK homeWelcome to the National Parks - Britain's breathing spaces. Information for visitors, students, residents. Jobs, news and events.www.nationalparks.gov.uk/ - 19k - Cached - Similar pagesalso the> UK FORESTS Forestry Commission GBThe Forestry Commission of Great Britain is the government department responsible for the protection and expansion of Britain's forests and woodlands.www.forestry.gov.uk/ - 18k -Cached - Similar pages . Compared to America, they are not even sitting at the table, in the USA Heritage Preservation and the promotion of History is so well advanced that it will require that I do a seperate post on the subject. However, why not check out yourselves via a web search the US National Parks and Forest Service, as waiting on me could take a week or more.

.

NOW TO TOP DOG, just how well is Visit Wales our new Welsh Tourism Service doing in this area of promoting Welsh Military History and a Battlefields Tours Information Service? Maybe just some history, like about our great struggles to resist conquest and colonisation during the middle ages, not very likly other than the Land of Castles or maybe Land of Golf Course these days. But Welsh History? well actually it looks as if things are improving a tiny wee bit, in their new site there is a rather pathetic little time line regards our heroic past, that's not enough, and I do not like the idea of labeling Owain Glyndwr as ''Tyrannical"(I am reporting that to Embassy Glyndwr and then you can worry!!!). However, I see in the VW blog that they have given Glyndwr a lot of attention, so it's not all bad at VW. However, I see this as a wise move seeing as Visit England has grabbed King Arthur as a market leader along with Shakespeare et al to Brand and Market England. But VW could do much more, on our post Roman period and that medieval period 1094 - 1294, all these Welsh ''bodies'' seem to be so sensitive about our years of Conquest and Colonisation, and wish to censor or sanitise this period of our history. Not good enough, the cop out is noticible and needs a lot of urgent attention. See how Visit Scotalnd does it, not so scared of their history as the Welsh ''the powers that be'' are in such medieval matters, compare the difference and you will see what I mean.

The reason that I have been both prompted into action with particular attention to these five ''bodies'', is due to it coming to my attention that there is a flurry of activity going on at the WAG 'Ministry of Heritage', now being run by PLAID A.M. Rhodri Glyn Thomas as 'Minister of Heritage'. All part of the WAG coalition scheme of things, but which at least on the surface does seem as if a ''New Broom is Sweeping Clean''.It appears as if much positive is ''Occurring'' regards presentation of our Welsh Heritage, thus I had to give this more attention, particularly in direction of Visit Wales, and a recent Heritage Conference held on 30th April organised by the Civic Trust, see link >. Treftadaeth 2008 The Historic Environment in FocusTreftadaeth will take place at the Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff between 10 am and 4 pm. The conference fee is £10 (voluntary sector) and £40 (public and ...www.civictrustwales.org/treftadaeth/marker_en.html - 5k -Cached - Similar pagesMore results from www.civictrustwales.org » also see post event statement from Rhodri Glyn Thomas > Welsh Assembly Government Treftadaeth 08Treftadaeth 08. Heritage Minister, Rhodri Glyn Thomas, will launch the 2007 Welsh Historic Environment Position Statement and highlight his future ...wales.gov.uk/news/presreleasearchive/treftadaeth/?lang=en - 17k - Cached - Similar pages It's all rather encouraging but for the one thing, it seems more emphasis is put on our matrial heritage than the history of people and events that marks our history from the time of Cunedda to Glyndwr and up to modern days. Of course our history is much more than a Military one, of medieval wars and battles but for over a 1000 years this was a greater part of our history. To ignore it is ignorence itself and not to use it in above associations is indeed ''Throwing the Baby out with the Bathwater'',and it seems that the so called National History Museum is doing just that. Go see their site, and note it's preference to antiquity and Romans, other than that you will get a lot about Bards and Poets of course, to shut the ''Crachach'' up no doubt.? However, it is interesting to see that the plans for a Peoples History Museum to be sited in Merthyr Tudful will not ignore the history of popular revolts and struggles as well as strikes by the workers of Wales.

.

I will have more to say on all this over on my YMGYRCH TREFTADAETH blog >http://ymgyrchtreftadaeth.blogspot.com ,so I will move on in matters which concern me here in this post. Suffice to say here, is that the Civic Trust is becoming a major player with the National Trust and other forementioned bodies in the overall concerns and related matters reagards our NATIONAL HERITAGE, and thus you would think that our Welsh Military History Heritage would be included in the scheme of things, but no? I am of course in particular concerned in this blog post with Welsh Battlefield Sites, in relation to preservation and not least promotion in areas of public interest and education, such also being within remit of local liesiure activity as well as tourism.

.

THE BIGQUESTION IS! DO THEY DO ANYTHING AT ALL? I have only had time at moment for a quick prowl through the aforementioned websites and at first sight I am not impressed regards what concerns me. That is matters regards Welsh Miltiary History ,other than the English Civil War, yes that involves Wales in a big way but there is more to Welsh Military History than just Cavaliers and Roundheads. Not least of course to do with that long period of Medieval History from Cunedda to Glyndwr, oh ok! the Tudors too, Bosworth and all that which I shall return to below. I hope it is appreciated that it takes time to really scour through these websites and thus my ''look see'' might leave a lot to be desired if I am to do a fair critical appraisal. However, my critcism even so will not be unfounded if on basis of a similar quick ''look see'' of comparative same interest area of various ''bodies'' throughout the British Isles.

.

I must emphasise this matter of how history is represented, be it from the position of the Native or those who Conquored and Colonised, I am not going to ignore fact either that Nationalists use history to re-establish Nations or worse? Of course Socialist too, will use history to advance ''Class Struggle''. Sure, the whole matter is fraught with debate and arguement but in most countries not ignored in ''certain areas'' as much as ''certain bodies'' ignore it in Wales. Thus, do note how America deals with it's history, in preservation and most importantly promotion of. I suggest that you perhaps view the web sites listed below first, and then the websites above though I guess you might repeat the viewing experience over and over to get at some truth. When you come to review the above bodies promotion of Welsh history note how much attention the Anglo - Norman Conquorers get compared to the native Welsh resistence to conquest and colonisation. This is of course is why Cofiwn had come into exiistance and taking all into consideration it is crossing my mind that maybe Cofiwn should be re-established, but no I am getting of the age where I would rather be a passive archivist of Hanes Cofiwn, see http://cofiwn.blogspot.com/ Although I am not entirelly refraining from Radical Activism, although it's more of the passive plodding along in my blogs but note am moving towards more ''militantly minded''thoughts over at YMGYRCH TREFTADAETH blog at http://ymgyrchtreftadaeth.blogspot.com/

That's enough here, in this post to keep you occupied for the coming months up to Mis Medi 2008, the next post to follow this one will present not demands but suggestions as to how might complaints be taken care of for the better of all and everything concerned. Of course your views and oppinions will be appreciated, contact me via email to g.apgruffydd@ntlworld.com My next big ''Search & Suss'' will be on how Welsh History is treated generally by the above bodies, not least Visit Wales, in relevent areas of Tourism, here, I am also doing ''S&S'' of Local Authourities in areas of History Promotion be it regards local liesiure level or regards Tourism. This major report will be posted over at YMGYRCH TREFTADAETHhttp://ymgyrchtreftadaeth.blogspot.com/